


Ino's Pain

by R_4_L



Series: Konoha 12 [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 12:36:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8446051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_4_L/pseuds/R_4_L
Summary: Canon-ish timeline.  Ino's insecurities get the better of her and when she makes a mistake.  Will her friends still stand by her or has she messed things up too much.  Sakura is still healing and the rest of their little group is all over the place with their own lives.  Will things ever settle down? And just when did Kiba become so handsome? Please note that this contains refernce to domestic violence, rape and it's after affects.  If you have any triggers in this area please be aware.





	1. Concern

**Author's Note:**

> Naruto is the explicit property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is for entertainment only.

Shikamaru and Choji watched as Ino headed off down the stairs from their rooftop refuge for her latest date with some chunin. Shikamaru was concerned, Ino wouldn't introduce them to her boyfriend. They'd been dating a number of months and she kept making excuses as to why he wouldn't meet them. It pissed Shika off, not only that but she was starting to change. Oh, Ino still looked the same, but her personality was changing. She was starting to show up late to training, and skip out on their lunch dates. Choji was the one to mention the small bruises that were mostly hidden by her clothing. Shikamaru had run through the scenarios where she could be hurt like that and he didn't like the results he got.

"I don't like her new guy." Like always, Choji summed up their feelings in short order. 

Shikamaru nodded leaning back on the bench he laced his fingers together and watched the clouds float by, "I think it'd be easier if we knew who she was seeing. I'm worried. You notice there were newer bruises today?"

"What can we do Shikamaru? She's asked us to respect her privacy, and she seemed so broken when she asked that I don't want to push her away. We need her and not just for the Ino-Shika-Cho, can we get some of our friends to help?" Choji was babbling. He always seemed to babble when he was nervous or scared.

"I think we should talk to Shino and Hinata and possibly Sakura, maybe they can lend a hand."

Choji nodded, Shino and Hinata and Sakura were almost as smart as Shikamaru and if Shikamaru figured they could help, the he knew they would. Choji thought about where he'd last seen his friends. "Well Shino and Hinata were headed towards the training grounds just a little while ago, they might still be there, and Sakaura well she might be at the hospital this time of day, if she's back on rotation that is."

"Right, let's start with Shino and Hinata." Sakura had enough on her plate right now just healing from her own ordeal, if they could leave her as a last resort then Shikamaru was going to give her that space, beside Naruto was likely with her and he didn't want to explain all of this to him; especially since would be too much like their last conversation regarding Sasuke. Shikamaru got up and headed towards the training grounds, going over everything that had been bugging him about Ino's new boyfriend. He wanted his facts straight so that when he explain things to their friends he didn't miss anything. Maybe he and Choji were just being overprotective, a second opinion would be welcome.

The village passed behind them as the trees thickened and sounds of the village changed to sounds of combat. Standing off to the side, Shikamaru could see that Hinata was really stepping up her training. Shino was attacking and it look like he wasn't holding back much. A small bug flew in front of him letting him know that Shino had felt their precence or at least seen them but Hinata still appeared unaware. He quickly caught on to what Shino wanted and signaled Choji. Just because he wanted to talk didn't mean he had the right to interfere with the training of the two in front of them. They could, however, lend a hand for the moment. A smile crossed his face as he signaled Choji to split up and attacked Hinata from her blind spots. She surprised them both by preform the 'protecting eight trigrams sixty-four palms'; knocking Choji off his feet and reflecting the shadow possession jutsu that he had sneaking up from behind a tree. Lying on his back looking up at the clouds floating by again he started to laugh. Over to the side he saw Choji getting up from where he'd been knocked down to join Shino as he slowly walked towards him. He placed his hands behind his head and exhaled deeply. Hinata's face encroached in his line of sight.

"Shikamaru, I'm so sorry. Are you alright? I didn't mean to hit you, but you just..."

Shikamaru laughed, "Don't worry about it, you attacked on instinct and preformed wonderfully. You not only anticipated my shadow attack and Choji's human bolder from your blind spots, but you stopped Shino's bug attack and still had enough power to repel us all. You are definitely getting a lot stronger." He sat at their feet, playing with a blade of grass.

"Thanks for assisting in the training, but I doubt that you both came out here for that?" Shino's comment drew Shikamaru back to the issue at hand.

"Yeah we wanted to talk to you both. I hope that Choji and I are just over reacting about something." Shino and Hinata sat down by the Nara leader. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head, "Man this is troublesome. We're having a bit of an..." He didn't know how to explain it.

"It's Ino and her new boyfriend, we're worried." As usual Choji put the issue into the most basic of terms. 

The four friends sat in the middle of the training grounds, while Shikamaru explained their concerns. Ino's change in behaviour, the new boyfriend not wanting to meet the rest of them- even her mother, the bruises on Ino that had nothing to do with training, and the way she was slowly pulling away from him and Choji. "I'm not 100% sure that we're not overreacting. I know I have been busier due to increases in my Jonin missions, duties for the Hokage, and taking over as the head of the clan. So I'm worried that I'm seeing things that aren't there. Ino might just be overwhelmed by clan pressures, her Chunin duties and helping out at the hospital."

"I could send a couple of bugs to trail her, but that wouldn't really let us know what was going on." Shino pondered what he could do to help his friends. He didn't want to spy on Ino, but after listening to Shikamaru and knowing his skills at strategy, he didn't think he was overreacting. "If you're concerned about your judgement, give Hinata and I couple of days to do our own assessment and we'll get back to you."

Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief, Shino would double check his thought process and make sure that there were no mistakes.

"I have plans with Ino, Tenten, and Sakura for tomorrow night. I'll let you know what happens, at least."

"Thanks Hinata, you don't have to spill any secrets, we just want to know how she's acting, that she's safe, and even if she'll show. Something tells me she's going to bail on your girls night, and say that her boyfriend has something special planned, at least that's the excuse she's given us whenever we've tried to get together outside of missions or training."

Hinata nodded, "Ino has only backed out on a couple of things with us. Lately when it involves Sakura, she's right there." Hinata shrugged, she didn't want to jeopardize the friendship she had with Ino, but if Shikamaru thought something was wrong then something was wrong. She'd never known Shikamaru to be mistaken about anything. "Don't worry Shikamaru, we'll help. If something is going on with Ino, then we need to find out because she is our friend too."

Choji put his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, "Thank you, guys."

Shino and Hinata watched to other two walk back towards the village, "do you really think that Shikamaru is right?"

"His logic is sound," Shino looked up at the clouds that Shikamaru favored, "Hinata, please come see me after you go out with Ino, Sakura and Tenten. We'll compare notes before going back to Shika."

"I know she was there for Sakura last week, in fact it was her idea to hold the spa day, even if she did disappear after Sakura had that panic attack. I did notice the next day that she was walking a little weird, but when I asked her about it she said that she slept wrong. Maybe I should have pushed harder." Hinata stood and wrung her hands worried that she had made a mistake and put her friends life in danger.

Shino watched Hinata and tried to put her mind at ease. Reaching over he pulled her in for a hug, "Relax, Hinata there was nothing we could do without proof, besides I don't like how she's pulling away from all of us, I noticed it the last time we'd all gotten together, but put it down to stress from work and worry over Sakura."

Not realizing that her teammate's and friends were worrying about her, Ino sat in her room brushing her hair and putting it up in a complex braid that Mako liked so much. Dressing in her normal purple crop top, shorts and split skirt she got ready for training. Looking in the mirror she noticed the bruises by her elbow. Mako had been angry with her the other day. She had been asked to extend her shift at the hospital because Sakura had a flashback and needed to leave. Mako didn't like it when she took on extra shifts without letting him know. Ino dug through her drawer for her arm guards and put them on. They covered the bruises and she knew it would stop at least some of the questions Shika would have. She shook her head, of course he would have questions; after all she was going to have to cut her training short today. Walking towards the training grounds she couldn't help wondering why Mako didn't like her friends. He had told her that they were holding her back and that he'd heard them talking about her behind her back, but were they really? Coming upon Choji and Shikamaru practicing with kunai knives she realized that she just wasn't sure. She'd been friends with Choji and Shikamaru since forever. They'd always been by her side, as for the others she really didn't believe they didn't care about her. But she couldn't think of any reason for Mako to lie to her.

"Hey Ino, you made it!" Choji's excited comment had her realizing that maybe she'd been letting her team down.

"Choji, Shikamaru" Ino waved at her friends, "how have things been going?" Choji waved and called out to her, but Ino watched Shikamaru. The Nara clan leader took a deep breath and set his shoulders before turning to face her. Although his face didn't reflect it, Ino could feel Shikamaru's disappointment. Shikamaru didn't like Mako, even though he hadn't met him, maybe it was because she'd used him as the reason she couldn't go for supper with them, or hang out. But Mako had pointed out that going BBQ every week was a sure way for her to gain weight, and Ino was scared of gaining weight. Mako didn't like Choji. He thought the Akamichi was below Ino and that Shikamaru was holding her back. Ino knew she needed both Choji and Shikamaru to prefect the Ino-Shika-Cho maneuver, it was one of the Leaf's secret weapons and the the last legacy she had from her dad, she'd argued with Mako over that. The fight had been bad, her back still ached where he had kicked her. Ino bowed her head and walked over to Shikamaru. "Shika?" Her voice was quiet, "can I stay and train?"

Shikamaru almost cried. Where was the Ino who yelled at them and bossed them around? Where did this timid girl come from? Had he done something? Was it a result of the fourth war? Or was it the new boyfriend? He wished he had something more on the guy then just a name. Putting a lazy smile on his face, Shikamaru used his shadows to run a hand down her hair, "of course Ino, it wouldn't be the same without you. You're a vital part to this." The smile that sprang across her face let him know that he had said the right thing.

It took a good 20 minutes, but soon the trio fell back into the groove. Choji expanding larger and larger, Shikamaru controlling not only Choji's movements but also trying to throw multiple kunai with his shadows while keeping aware of the surroundings, and Ino was trying to stay upright while viewing the world from an overhead bird. Ino was working harder to get stronger, she wanted to do what her father did, and take control of an animal while still fighting. She tried to move, just raise her hand at first, but she wanted to be able to do more, when the world suddenly went dark. 

Ino woke to Shikamaru and Choji kneeling over her. "Ino, hey are you ok?" Choji's concern always broke her heart. He was such a sweet guy. So compassionate and loving, she hoped he found someone who appreciated just how special he was.

"Yeah, I'm okay Choji, I think I just tried to do too much. I need to get stronger."

"You can't get stronger in a day Ino, baby steps remember just like your Dad taught us." Shikamaru helped her sit up, keeping his arm around her before bringing his canteen to her lips. "Here take a drink, just a small sip. "

"Thank you Shika." She cupped her hands around his as she took a drink.

"You're really pale, are you sure you're ok?" Now that he was this close to her Shikamaru could see the dark circles under her eyes that she'd tried to hide. He'd taken the time to catalog all the injuries he could see while she was out without being too obvious about it. No sense worrying Choji more than he needed to.

Ino carefully got up, Shikamaru helped her, keeping his arm around her and pulling her closer when she stumbled. Holding her steady, Ino felt him whisper her name in her hair. Choji was close behind, his hand on her back, his warmth radiating through her even with him a step back like he was. Ino closed her eyes and relished in the closeness of her teammates as they surrounded her. She loved these guys, they were like brothers, but better because they chose to be this close. A sense of malice had her raising her head and searching the edge of the training ground. She saw Mako take a step back into the tree line. She knew he wouldn't like Choji and Shikamaru being so close to her. Ino took a shuddering breathe, the boys realizing something was upsetting her, took a step closer. Ino shut her eyes again, that wouldn't go over well at all.

"I think I'll head home." 

Shikamaru frowned, he knew he'd felt something almost malevolent towards them. His first instinct had been to protect Ino as she'd been on the ground worn out, but that only seemed to make it worse, and now she gone back to being a timid little mouse again. "Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"I'll come with you Ino." Choji offered.

"No, I'll be ok Choji, thank you." Ino started back towards the village.

"I don't like this Choji," Shikamaru stated watching his friend walk away knowing that something was wrong. 

"Did you feel that earlier, I couldn't see anything but it felt like someone was watching us and..." Choji looked down at his feet, "it felt like someone was wishing us dead. Does that make sense? I mean I couldn't see anyone around?"

"No Choji you weren't wrong, that's exactly how it felt to me too." Shikamaru headed over to the trees, it had come from over there and that's the direction Ino had been looking when she paled further. Checking the ground, he saw foot prints, and knew that they were fresh but he had no clue whose they were. Turning his gaze back towards the village and Ino, he realized that everything was going to be in Hinata's hands for tonight. He hoped that Ino didn't blow them off. She needed to be with the group, and if he was completely honest, Sakura still needed the comfort of her friends. The Hokage and Lady Tsunade had let him know that she was just getting back into working at the hospital. Sakura was perhaps the strongest medical ninja since Lady Tsunade, and since her abduction and torture three months before she hadn't been back to work full time and Ino had been picking up the slack. Shikamaru stood staring up at the clouds, man how much simpler things had been when he was a kid. He could slack off and watch the clouds or play shoji with Asuma or his Dad, or hang out with Choji, Ino, and the rest of the gang. Now he was head of the Nara Clan and lead strategist for the Hokage, he had his own team, and all of the their friends were pairing up. Life was getting complicated

"Let's head back Choji." 

Choji let his his hand settle on Shikamaru's shoulder. "Don't worry Shika, we'll figure this out and get Ino back to normal. If that means we have to force a meeting with Mako, we will. We won't loose her, she's too important to us. It may just be that he's feeling threatened by how close we are."

Shikamaru smiled, leave it to Choji to point out the most obvious and positive outcome. "Once again you're right Choj, we just need to have faith in Ino and our friends."

 

 

Shino had been busy since talking to Shikamaru, he sent his insects out to follow Ino, all they would show was where she went. There was nothing overly surprising in the places she'd visited so far. The training ground, the hospital, her father's grave, the flower shop and her place. What did surprise him was that she hadn't visited any of her friends. Shino did a mental count of where everyone was. Sakura was still recovering and staying at Naruto's place with Sasuke, although he'd heard that she'd tried to take some shifts at the hospital to help out. Naruto, Sai, and Kiba were all out on a mission; but he, Hinata, Lee, and TenTen were around. It was only the first day, so Shino was going to give another couple. Hopefully Hinata would have better luck tonight.


	2. Pain

Ino arrived at her apartment, and took a deep breath stopping to lean her forehead against the door. She was tired, so tired and she really didn't want to deal with anyone right now. Mako had been pressuring her to break her plans with Sakura, TenTen, and Hinata. Right now she didn't even want to see him. When did her world start revolving around Mako's happiness instead of her own? A night alone sounded - well it sounded lonely. She wanted to spend time with someone who wouldn't expect too much from her, and right now no one but Sakura actually fit the bill. Sakura was still healing from her attack and rape and the two could spend some quiet time watching a movie or something. Now she just had to convince TenTen and Hinata that she wasn't really bailing on them, at least no the way that Mako wanted her to. The problem would be Mako. After what he saw this afternoon, trying to placate him without repercussions was going to be her biggest hurdle. She hadn't given Mako a key, but he'd ended up with one anyway. Leaning her head against the door she knew she'd have to break it off with him. She loved him, she did but she couldn't take the pain anymore. She was a strong kunoichi who had fought in the war and been injured. She had stood beside her friends and now Mako was affecting everything in her life, and not all of it in a good way. She was already trying to think up excuses to avoid the girls night Hinata had planned tonight and the thing was she really wanted to go. She hadn't talked to Hinata or TenTen in forever, and Sakura was going to try an be there. She missed her best friend. Realizing that she was still standing outside her apartment door, Ino opened it and walked right into a punch.

"You whore!" His voice was quiet and that was worse then if he had screamed at her. Mako. He had dragged her inside her apartment and closed the door behind him, sealing them inside together. She'd taken two or three hits before she got her wits around her.

"Get out!" She screamed, "leave me alone! I never want to see you again!" A vicious punch landed her on the floor. She tried her best to move out of the way finally finding enough energy to curl into a ball. Of course that's when he switched to kicks. It seemed like forever before Ino could react and use her mind control jutsu to make him stop. She struggled to stand, and could feel blood flowing down her side. It was hard to get a full breath, he must have broke a couple of ribs with those kicks.

"You aren't worth the ryo they paid to have you!" Mako growled, madder now that he couldn't move. "You're worthless. I took pity on you because you're so fat and stupid. I'd be better off dating a pig." Ino's strength finally gave out and she collapsed on the floor. He gave one more kick to her head before stomping around her apartment. She couldn't see what he was doing, but she heard glass break. She prayed that he stayed away from the precious mementos she had around the house. Her vision started to grey around the edges. Maybe he'd be gone before she lost consciousness. Ino was scared what he might do to her if she was that vulnerable around him.

The sound of the door slamming brought her around. Ino lay there panting and took stock of her injuries. Well she wasn't going out tonight that was for sure. Carefully getting to her knees, Ino crawled to the door and set the strongest traps she knew. She didn't want him getting back in. She debated the thought of moving to her bedroom, or just staying where she was before collapsing as everything went dark. She didn't know how long she had been lying there when knock on the door almost had her in tears. She so didn't want it to be Shikamaru, she didn't think she could handle an 'I told you so' from him, not right now.

A second more frantic knock came, along with a voice, "Ino? Ino it's Sakura are you home?"

Sakura, she would help. "Sakura," bloody hell, she no energy, and she couldn't catch her breath.

"Ino? Ino, I'm coming in alright." The voice on the other side of the door was panicky.

Ino laid back down and started to cry, she'd be safe.

It was endless minutes before the door opened slowly, and then closed quickly. Sakura knelt down beside her friend. "Oh Ino, what did he do to you? Is he still here?" Her hands were already searching for the worst injury while she searched the apartment with her chakra for anyone else.

"I don't know," Ino was breathless. "I think I passed out for a bit."

Satisfied that they were alone, Sakura focused her attention on Ino's injuries. "Can you breath ok? I don't want you to move until I'm sure you won't do more damage." This wasn't the first Sakura had patched Ino up after Mako had gotten mad, but this was one of the worst.

"Thank you."

Once satisfied that her injuries weren't life threatening, Sakura helped Ino to her feet, and into her bedroom, "Ino, let me help you, let me heal you." She waited for a nod before going ahead. Sakura held her hands over her friend, the healing light flowing around her, "oh Ino. How did we get here." Her laugh was forced, but it was laugh or cry at this moment. "I don't think either of us are ready to go out tonight." Sakura examined Ino, it had mostly been bruises, mild internal bleeding, a couple of broken ribs, and a slight concussion. Sakura also healed a broken arm set improperly, torn muscles, and a blown ear drum. The bigger problem was what was going on inside the blonde's head.

Ino laughed, it was on the verge of hysteria, "Sakura, I miss you." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Ino, what would you say if I asked Hinata and TenTen over here? We're all worried about you and I know you're worried about what everyone will say, but Ino, we need each other, we're not quite complete without our group. There's way too many guys in our group who think they know what's right for us."

"Ok," Ino sighed, she didn't want to look the fool, but Sakura was right, she needed her friends right now.

"Let's get you in a bath, and I'll go get food and let Hinata and TenTen know about the a change of plans. Will you safe here alone?"

"I..I.." her shoulders slumped, "honestly I don't know anymore." 

Another knock on the door surprised them both. "I'll get it, you just lie here Ino, okay?"

Sakura closed the door the Ino's bedroom, and walked towards the front door. She focused her chakra into her fist, ready to attack. Who could it be, if it was the bastard that had hurt her, she was going to pound him into next week. Opening the door, Sakura peeked out.

"Sakura, is Ino okay?" Shino asked quietly, his insects had let him know there was a problem.

Sakura relaxed at the sight of a friend. "Shino, perfect timing. Yes she's ok for now, but I need to run out for a bit, can you stay here and guard the door? Don't let anyone in, I'm going to put Ino in the bath. We need to talk to Shikamaru and Choji without isolating Ino. I." She stopped not knowing what to say and if she was really doing the right thing. "Can you start thinking of ways to help protect her without invading her privacy or actually having any of us stand guard, at least for now?"

Shino had his mouth open to say something, but Sakura was already off, back into the apartment, the door shut in his face. He just shrugged his shoulders and stood outside the door, blending into the background. He was glad to see that Sakura was back to her usual self, at least for the moment.

Sakura rushed back into Ino's room. Shikamaru must have asked Shino to help keep an eye on Ino. "It's ok Ino, it's just Shino. He's going to watch the door for us right now, so you can relax. Mako can't get in. Now let's get you in the bath while I go for food. Is there anything special you want?"

Ino scrubbed the tears from her face, "anything fattening sounds good right now." 

"Alright." Sakura helped Ino up again and waited while Ino grabbed a fresh change of clothes before helping her start the bath. "I'll be back soon, I'm sure Shino has insects around here so if you need help, please call him." Although it was doubtful that the bug nin would wait for an invitation if he thought that she was in danger. Sakura had seen the kunai in his hand when she opened the door. Shino was in full protection mode.

Ino pulled Sakura in for a hug, "Thank you for not giving up on me."

"Never," Sakura froze at the contact but smiled and left quickly. Comfort food, that's what they needed tonight, placing an order at the bakery for some sweets, she rushed down to Ichiraku's for ramen, she laughed to herself, Naruto must really be rubbing off on her if she thought of ramen as comfort food. Instead of waiting, Sakura started towards TenTen's apartment, it was just down the street. Knocking on the door, TenTen answered her hair down for once.

"Sakura, what's up?"

"Hey TenTen, I need a favour for tonight."

"Sure, has Ino bailed on us?" TenTen stepped back allowing Sakura to stand in the entryway of her apartment.

"No, actually that's the favour I need. We want to have our 'girls night' over at Ino's apartment. She's not up to going out."

"What happened?" TenTen knew that if Ino wasn't cancelling but wasn't up to going out that something must have happened.

"Look, I'll tell you and you can let Hinata know. The thing is, I don't want this to be the main focus of tonight." Sakura waited until TenTen nodded before continuing, "I went to see if Ino would go with me, she was beaten pretty bad. That bastard of a boyfriend did it. She says she broke up with him, now we just need to make sure that he stays gone."

"Is she safe by herself? Do you want me to rush over there?" TenTen was worried. Ino was strong, but she had such low self esteem.

"No, Shino is watching the place for us right now, but if you have a sealing jutsu that she can use on the door to help keep him away that would be great. Just give Hinata the heads up, I figured she'd likely come over here to grab you before we all met up and I don't want to take the extra time right now to go out to the Hyuga compound."

TenTen nodded, she reached out to give Sakura a quick hug but backed off when she noticed how the pinkette flinched, "between you and her, I don't want to hear of anymore of my friends being hurt. I'm sure we've reached our limit." TenTen took a deep breath before Sakura left. "Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Well I have sweets and some food on order, but if there's anything else you or Hinata want to bring go ahead, I'm not sure what Ino has in her cupboards."

"I'll talk to Hinata, I'd suggest alcohol but I think we're all going to want a clear head." TenTen sighed, two of her best friends had the lives torn apart. Getting flat out drunk might help, but not tonight, the wounds were still too fresh.

"Look I'm going to grab the food then head back to Ino's."

"Alright Hinata and I will be there soon enough."

Sakura stopped to pick up the Ramen and Cakes before going straight to Ino's, she been gone about an hour, hopefully she hadn't put Shino out too much. Climbing the stairs she noticed that the lighting was brighter.

"Sakura? Do you need any help with that?"

"No I have it. Thank you Shino. And thank you for staying here and watching over her." She leaned in close to give the bug nin's cheek a quick kiss.

Shino stood still, knowing that she still had her own issues to dealing with, "We're friends Sakura, all you need to do is ask and anyone of us will be there without question, because- because- if you can't rely on us who can you rely on." Shino was a little thrown off as he'd actually been able to finish a sentence with her. Normally his friends interrupted him part way through, already understanding what he was trying to say. 

"Shino," Sakura's voice trembled a bit as she moved a little closer to him, knowing that he meant her as well as Ino, "thank you for being you. It may seem like we ignore you, but we don't and we never have." She reached up and kissed his cheek again before pulling back and opening Ino's door, "I won't leave her alone tonight and TenTen and Hinata should be here shortly so we'll be fine. I won't let Mako hurt her again."

"None of us will." Shino added, "I put a sealing jutsu on the windows and doors, it will recognize intent. It will raise an alarm if the intent is malicious but it's not perfect just a temporary measure. I'm also leaving some of my kikaichu here as well."

"Shino if you think we don't know that you watch over all of us with your kikaichu then you're dimmer than Naruto."

He gifted her with one of his rare smiles. He really was quite handsome. "Then you should know that there's no way any of us would leave the four of you here unprotected." He raised his hands quickly to stall her retort. "I have no doubt that any of you would be more than a match for Mako or anyone else, but I think the focus tonight should be Ino and re-establishing the bonds of your friendship. Let us keep you safe. Please?"

"Sasuke's coming," Sakura gazed off behind his shoulder, "talk to him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long I had put this story on the back burner for a little bit trying to figure out how to finish it and had forgotten that I'd posted a chapter.


	3. The Bastard

Her smile as she closed the door had Shino's jaw dropping. The hand on shoulder a couple of minutes later would have surprised him is he hadn't been warned. "Sasuke."

"I've got first watch this time. Sai will be here shortly to help. Go home to Hana, Shino." The Uchiha was quiet as he settled himself just outside the door.

Shino figured that Sasuke was so in tune with Sakura's chakra lately that he was aware of her moods. Nothing would get passed the man, the girls would be safe. He smiled to himself as he headed back towards his apartment and Hana. Walking through the village Shino assimilated all the information his kikaichu had gathered. It wasn't like Naruto's shadow clones, but more nebulous and subtle, still the more he learned the madder he got. If it hadn't been for Sakura coming by when she did and her having the knowledge of a medical kunoichi, they could have lost Ino to her injuries. Who the hell in their right mind would beat their girlfriend? Especially someone as loving and as beautiful as Ino. Walking through the market Shino took the long way home and tried to calm down. He'd have to talk to Hana and see how she thought the best way to help Ino would be. His gait slowed as he took in the sights and sound of the market, looking for something to raise Ino's spirits he stopped by a food stall intending to purchase something to munch on while he looked around, what he wasn't expecting was to hear what he did.

"Well that bitch wasn't good for much more than a punching bag. She was too frigid and uptight, I thought that with her old man dead that I could get her to teach me those mind control techniques. After all one bitch is as good as another." The laughter at his comments made Shino sick, looking at the men on the bench, two were whipping on their glasses of beer, one hardly able to sit-up straight, while the third, a darker haired man, flapped his mouth. Shino was disgusted. Hearing two shinobi talk about women that way after what he now knew what Ino had went through made his stomach turn. He tried to get a better look, maybe he couldn't stop what had happened to Ino, but he might be able to help some other woman. His kikaichu started to get agitated. They shouldn't be reacting like this; but there was something; the chakra signature. He knew it. The bastard. Finally he couldn't handle it anymore. He walked over to the pair and stood behind the darker of the two. 

"Sorry, but I just want to be sure, are you Mako?" Shino was never happier that his face wasn't as well known around the village like some of their group.

"Yeah, do I know you?" The dark haired man stood and turned around. 

"No, but I know you, and you're nothing but a worthless coward." Shino was glad they were by an alleyway. He started down the alley a ways knowing that the loudmouth would likely follow him. Sure enough the bastard of a shinobi was right on his heels.

"What do you mean you know me? Who the hell are you? And what do you want? Answer me damnit?" Mako grabbed at Shino when he remained quiet. His buddies smirking. "You're going to regret opening you mouth you little shit." He charged at the unknown shinobi.

Shino turned and using Mako's own momentum against him, slammed him against the outside wall, before leaning in closer. Shino knew he could seem intimidating with his dark glasses and hood pulled up, he spoke quietly, "You ever hurt one of my friends again and no one will find your body. Now I know that Ino asked you to leave her alone and I just want to make sure that you completely understood what she meant by that." The man was stiff in his grasp.

"Shino!?" 

The voice behind him, had Shino bracing for another opponent, after all Mako's friend hadn't made a move yet. Turning his head he noticed that it was actually Naruto standing there. He was blocking Mako's friends; both of whom had pulled a kunai and looked to be aiming for Shino's back.

"Shino just what's going on?"

"This is the piece of trash that beat our Ino. Sakura's with her now." Shino watched Naruto process that. He'd been with Sakura while she had been recovering from her capture and he knew what that kind of abuse from a stranger did to person, to see it done by a member of the leaf, against one of their comrades, someone they had chosen to be with. Well it just didn't bare thinking on too hard.

"You mean he hurt Ino. ON PURPOSE?" Naruto's brows furled at that thought of someone hurting the beautiful blonde, he knew she could be loud and obnoxious sometimes, but really to hurt her? He didn't understand it but Shino wouldn't lie and if Sakura was with Ino that meant she'd been hurt bad enough to need a medic.

"Not only that but he was bragging about it, and talking smack about her." Shino started getting angrier.

"Bragging about hurting someone on purpose? This is the guy Ino's been dating?" Naruto's blood started to boil. He slammed the two men he was holding into the wall and let them fall limp to the ground. Cocking a fist back, he let it fly, the punch connecting with Mako's jaw and ripping him from Shino's grasp. Naruto pushed Shino out of the way as he stalked over to Mako, the man struggling to his feet. Using what skill he had, Mako started throwing shirikens at blonde before he pulled out a kunai and attacked. The fight was fast and dirty, with Naruto taking a couple of hits but getting more of his own in. Shino finally stepped in and pulled Naruto off the down man. 

"Come on Naruto, I think this guy has finally learned his lesson." Shino looked over at Mako's friends who were sitting against the wall, both a lot worse for wear. "You'll let him know that we'll be keeping an eye on him from now on won't you. Not just for Ino's sake put for the sake of all women in the leaf village. Oh and we won't be the only ones." Shino and Naruto walked out of the alley and down the street, luckily they hadn't drawn too much of a crowd. Shino knew that Naruto didn't want to get into trouble again with the Hokage. He would be talking to the ANBU soon, just to be on the safe side. Naruto turned towards the training grounds and Shino followed without question, although he did send out his kikaichu to request the presence of any of their friends that might be in the village, with the exception of TenTen, Sakura, and Hinata since they would be over at Ino's soon and she'd need them more than he and Naruto would. Of course Sasuke would ignore the request as well, but Shino knew the blonde in front of him would keep the Uchiha in the loop. The training grounds came into focus and Naruto went straight towards the training post hitting it with all of his might. Shino took the other pole and tried to vent his frustrations like Naruto did. Who would hit Ino? Why? She is such a beautiful woman and a good friend. The injuries she had sustained...Shino didn't want to think about it.

"Naruto you're back!." Lee's enthusiastic voice rose over the pounding of fists against wood. Taking in the serious faces of friends Lee got worried "Shino, what's going on?"

"Let's wait a little until everyone else is here."

"Who else did you call Shino." Naruto's quiet words were spoken into the post as he leaned his head against it. He looked so defeated and seemed unaware of the blood dripping from his knuckles.

"Well I sent out a call to everyone of our friends except the girls at the moment. Here comes the others." Shino watched as Shikamaru came through the woods, while Choji and Sai came from town.

"Shino, what did you find out?" Shikamaru took in the bruised knuckles on Shino and the blood seeping from Naruto's hands and side, a shuriken strike if he guessed right. He wanted to go over to the blonde to check out his injuries, but the small shake of Naruto's head had him waiting.

"Ok, I'll start but right now I want you to know that Ino is safe." 

Choji gasped and tensed at that; for one of their group to start out with a statement like that meant that there had been a time when she hadn't been safe. 

Shino continued, "I had my insects follow Ino the last couple of days and her routine was pretty normal. The hospital, her mom's, Inoichi-San's grave, the flower shop, the market, and a couple of restaurants- things that were fairly normal. So if she was meeting with Mako it was in one of those places or at her apartment. Earlier today they made me aware of a drastic drop in her chakra levels. By the time I got over there Sakura was already with her. It seems that Mako had decided to vent his frustration on her."

Shikamaru cursed and threw a punch at the training post by Naruto. 'Damn it was this their fault for crowding around Ino today when she was hurt?'

"She'd been beaten pretty bad, but like I said, Sakura was there and healing her when I arrived; so I let them be without announcing my presence. I just stood guard outside the door." Shino wiped his hands down his face, "Sakura went out for a bit and I left when Sasuke took up first watch outside Ino's apartment. He said that he'd stay the night, no one will hurt the girls with him there. Anyway I was walking the market looking for something to raise Ino's spirits when I overheard someone talking smack about his girlfriend, I didn't think much beyond identifying the asshole to possibly help some other woman when I confirmed that it was Mako and then." Shino turned and walked away from the group, his hands tightening into fists again at what he'd overheard. 

"Let's just say that Shino lost some of his cool." Naruto smirked, as he turned to face his friends. He crossed his arms and leaned against the training post. He didn't want the guys to know that he was bleeding. Glad Kiba wasn't there or the dog nin would sniff it out in a heart beat. Shika knew, but that couldn't be helped; not much got passed the genius. He closed his eyes, he wasn't the focus, Ino was. He was afraid to imagine how badly hurt Ino had been, he'd wait until he talked to Sakura. 

"I wasn't the only one to loose my cool Naruto." Shino chastised his friend, slightly embarrassed about his lack of control. 

"Well, yeah, but no one is surprised when I loose my control." The gleam in Naruto's eye was almost feral and had Shikamaru taking a closer look at his friends.

"Maybe so, but generally when you loose control, you don't normally beat on people." Shino shook his head. "Anyway I wanted to let you know that we beat the crap out of Mako for what he'd done as well as warned him off, but I figured that if we all knew what had happened we could keep an eye on Ino without keeping an eye on Ino if you know what I mean. I know you and Choji had asked for help and we will always support each other."

"Oh Ino," Lee was shocked at what had been happening without his knowledge.

Shikamaru collapsed on the ground, the relief that Ino was safe was almost more than he could handle, "I guess the only thing to pray for is strength for Ino."

"Well if Sakura healed her, she should be fine," Naruto spoke up, not sure what Shikamaru was worried about.

"No, I mean strength for her to stay away from him and not take him back."

"Take him back? After he beat her like he did?" Lee was confused now and honestly Naruto and Choji didn't look like they understood it any better.

Shino just sighed and a looked off into the tree line letting Shikamaru continue, he was better at explaining things in a way that even Naruto could understand. Maybe having Shikamaru explain it to them would enable them to wrap their minds around it too.

"Look, an abuser is smart, they wear their prey down constantly using verbal and mental techniques. First to gain their trust, having them rely on them and then slowly isolating them from friends and family. Often before their victim even realizes it they have pulled away from everyone they used to rely on either by continually breaking appointments and dates like Ino has been with us until their friends just give up and stop asking, or by causing friction through fights and arguments. When the victim feels too embarrassed or angry to approach anyone the game is stepped up. Once they've isolated them, then they can control them through physical violence, by that time victims often think that the only one who loves them or will take care of them is their abuser. The cycle of physical abuse and the victim kicking them out and then taking them back in is - well to be honest it's down right depressing. That's the 'text book' explanation, and there are many different ways an abuser can achieve the same end but you get the idea." Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He was trying to cut back, but at the moment it felt like he could inhale the whole pack. "Right now Ino has kicked Mako out, according to Shino, the question is will she stick to her guns and keep him out or will she take him back. If she takes him back there is nothing we can do but make sure that we are there for her, and unfortunately if we start Mako-bashing, chances are she'll go back to him just to prove to us that he's not that bad. On the other hand if she stays away from him we need to be there for her to support her however we can. Regardless we all know what type of relationship she was in. We can't comment on her making a stupid decision with Mako, or put him down, at the same time we need to find a way to empower her and let her know that we still trust her to make sound decisions."

Silence settled over the group and everyone let Shikamaru's words really sink in.

Naruto sank to the ground and crossed his arms over his chest, a look of extreme concentration on his face. "So what your saying is that we need to make sure that Ino knows we still find her a beautiful and caring person who is incredibly strong and a wonderful asset to her team and the village. That she's a kick ass kunoichi and awesome medical ninja. A wonderful friend, that has shown only once to have terrible taste in men. We need to let her know that we know there is someone out there that will love her for her and treat her like the precious jewel she is and we need to do all of this without actually saying it in person. Have I got it?"

"You know, I think your actually getting smarter as we get older Naruto." Shikamaru chuckled, "Yeah, that's exactly it, and so eloquently put too Naruto."

"Ella what?" Naruto scratched his head and Shino and Shikamaru barked out a laugh as he once again went from being incredibly insightful to down right dim-witted.

"Thank you Shino," Choji bowed to his friend, "we'll all keep an eye on Ino and make sure that she feels valued without changing how we act from day to day. While it pisses me off to no end that Ino had to go through that, I am relieved that we have friends that we can rely on to help."

"Well I say we let the Hokage and the ANBU know what Mako was like so they can keep an eye on him. If he'd do something like this to Ino the chances are he'd do it to someone else, possibly someone without the support system Ino has." Lee was mad, his friend had been injured and he had been unable to stop it.

"Good point Lee, I have an appointment with the Hokage tomorrow morning so I'll bring it up then." Shikamaru took another look at Naruto, he was a little paler than earlier but the way he was sitting let him know that blonde wanted to keep it quiet. "Alright so right now Ino is safe,"  
Shino nodded, "Shino, can we leave to you to keep Kiba in the loop." 

"Shikamaru I know that Sasuke is outside Ino's apartment watching over them. Please, trust him with their safety if nothing else." Naruto's words were quiet, but they hit home.

Shikamaru was going to object, but really one more set of eyes would help and even if he didn't trust Sasuke, he was dating Sakura and she was Ino's best friend. "Ok so the rest just try and treat Ino as normal as possible and if you notice anything strange let me or Choji know ok. Naruto I'd like to talk to you, is it alright if I come over for a bit?"

"Yeah, ok."

Shino headed out towards Hana and the vet clinic, he needed to see her and hold her. Lee asked Choji to go out for BBQ, with the idea that the two of them could get a better grasp on what to do to help Ino. Shikamaru turned to talk to Naruto and found the blonde powerhouse had already started home. He hurried to catch up, with his friend who had started to mumble under his breath. "Hey Naruto, what's up man?"

"I don't get it Shikamaru. I mean Ino is so pretty and popular. She's smart and talented. She's learning all of her father's tricks and Ibiki says she picking it up quicker than her father did, even if she doesn't want to work with T&I on a regular basis. Why did she go out with someone like Mako, why not someone who treats her better? Why did she put up with the abuse verbal and physical? I just don't understand it."

Shikamaru pulled out another cigarette and lit it as he walked beside one of his best friends. How many times had he gone over the same questions, wondering if he could have some how prevented it. "I don't know for sure, Nartuo. Do you remember back at the academy, Ino and Sakura fighting over Sasuke? For some reason about that time she started to base her self worth on her looks." He didn't bring up the secrets he had learned from his father's journal. "I mean Sakura and Sasuke had the top marks, Shino and TenTen excelled in the ninjutsu and Lee in taijutsu, Hinata and Choji were the sweet ones, and you, me and Kiba had goofing off down to a science. So that left Ino with being the pretty one. I know that Inoichi always called her 'his pretty flower' and maybe he didn't mean to but it likely reinforced the idea that beauty was all she had." Ok so he brought up what he'd learned from his dad's journal. Of course they had all heard Inoichi call Ino his beautiful flower so it wasn't really all that surprising. They climbed the stairs to Naruto's apartment. 

After the village had been rebuilt from Pein's attack, Naruto bought an apartment in a similar location to where it had been before. The apartment had a good sized living room, an eat in kitchen, a large bathroom and two bedrooms, and a balcony that had a good view of Hokage mountain. Shikamaru liked the new apartment better then his old one, of course it might have something to do with the fact that he kept it cleaner too. Closing the door behind him, Shikamaru removed his sandals and put them beside Naruto's, then followed him into the living room. "Okay Naruto, take off the jacket and shirt and let's have a look at you side." Shikamaru went straight for the closet and the first aid kit he kept there. He watched as Naruto struggled to take his jacket off, "When did you get hit?" Shikamaru moved closer to help him with his shirt.

"Well the asshat's friends, bastards tried to skewer Shino in the back and got me instead. When I lost it and took Shino's place, then asshat tossed a bunch of shuriken and I got hit by a couple, then he used a kunai when we were fighting in close quarters and he scored a hit in the same area." Naruto hissed as each move pulled. He headed towards the bathroom, the Nara following close behind.

Shikamaru positioned Naruto's right arm above his head and then carefully removed a shuriken before he lifted the mesh shirt, pulling the strands of fabric from the wound. "Sorry," he apologized when the powerhouse drew in a sharp breath. Finally getting the shirt off, Shikamaru helped him lower his arm, taking note of the sweat forming across Naruto chest. "You sure you're ok?" The worst cut was shallow but about 12 centimeters long, it wouldn't need stitches but maybe some glue to hold the skin together and butterfly bandages. Digging through the first aid box Shikamaru found what he needed.

"Yeah I'm ok," Naruto took a deep breath, "I'm just tired Shika, I was just coming back from an S-class and running on fumes when I saw Shino in the alley. It was three on one, although Mako's buddies had just pulled a kunai and was going for Shino's back. So I went to even the odds." His stomach choose that moment to growl.

"So it's mostly lack of food and sleep that are effecting you. I'm worried about poison on Mako's weapons."

"Nay, I don't think he's that smart. They might be dirty, and they were definitely dull, but I doubt they were poisoned. He didn't treat them the same way that Genma or Shizune treat their weapons." Naruto twisted to look at the cut in the mirror. "How should I clean it?"

"Why don't you jump in the shower, soap and water should be fine. Warm water, not hot, and don't scrub it hard. I'll fix something to eat if you don't mind me raiding your fridge."

Naruto started stripping off his pants before turning on the water, "Yeah. I don't know what's in the fridge. Sakura has been keeping it stocked so there should be something in there, I just don't know what."

"Ok, leave the door unlocked and holler if you start feeling weak, ok?"

"Yeah, Yeah, I'll be fine." Naruto mumbled as he stepped under the water.

Shikamaru walked back out to the kitchen. Opening the fridge he noticed that it was stocked with fresh vegetables. Naruto might be back sooner then expected, but someone was looking out for him. Most shinobi have a three or four man buddy system, someone to check on your place when you've been gone for more than a few days, empty the fridge, water the plants that type of thing. It also works to have more than the reporting office know when someone is due back. They can start restocking the kitchen with little things, and give the heads up if that person is really late coming home. He wondered who had been looking after Naruto's apartment, when he noticed the medical text book on the counter. Sakura. She must still be staying here. 

Shikamaru went back to putting together a meal. He hated cooking. Oh, he could do it and the meal was usually edible, but it was never like what Choji, Shino or Naruto could produce. He checked the cupboards settling on instant ramen, after all Naruto had fifteen or twenty different varieties, he set to making tea and a small salad as well. The shower shut off and doors opened then closed, opened then closed. Naruto made his way down the hall in a clean pair of sleep pants,his prosthetic off, and the first aid kit in his hand. 

"Can you give me a hand?"

Shikamaru wiped his hands on a towel and moved over to Naruto. Using a paper towel he dried the area along his right rib and grabbed the skin glue to hold everything together. A couple of butterfly bandages to keep the cut together until the glue set and they were done.

"I doctored up some instant ramen, come and eat." Shikamaru went back to the kitchen counter and moved the two containers to the table while Naruto retrieved chopsticks and cups for tea that was already on the table.

"Thanks Shikamaru." The pair sat, said a quick prayer of thanks before diving in. The quiet was soothing in a way. Naruto knew that Shikamaru would give him the time he needed to run everything through his mind and figure out if he had questions or something that he needed explained further. "I guess we all have our own demons. Think it'd be ok if I talked to Takuma about this?"

"Yeah, this is exactly the type of thing he'd be best at. We should see about getting Ino in to talk to someone, but maybe a little later." The list of things he needed to double check on was growing. He didn't really have the time, but....

"Hey Shikamaru, don't worry we got this now, as group we can do anything. Have faith in us. Now I'm going to have another bowl of ramen and then go to bed. You crashing here or going home?"

"I'll take the couch if that's okay." Shikamaru thought of all the nights he'd spent on that couch, Naruto was the one friend he had besides Choji, where he could show up at the door in the middle of the night and no questions were asked. Beside, he wasn't sure if Sasuke and Sakura would come back here for the night or go to her place. 

"I have a new futon that we can pull out instead of that lumpy couch."

"I like that lumpy couch." The strategist smiled at his friend. "Naruto, how's Sakura doing? She still staying here, or at her place?"

"I think they both spend more nights here then at her place. The Hokage's been able to stagger our missions so far, so that either Sasuke or myself at in the village at any one time. I guess they both prefer my apartment over her's for some reason."

Shikamaru smiled. He wouldn't admit it, but most of them preferred Naruto's apartment. There was something about feel of it. Glancing around he noticed the pictures and trinkets that each of them had given Uzumaki over the years. Maybe it was the way Naruto cherished each of them, and made them family. "So where's the shoji board?"

"Awww man! Do I have to play?" 

Shikamaru laughed at the whining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I just wasn't happy with it. There is still more to come.


	4. No Questions Asked

Unaware of all the drama the boys were creating, Ino sunk deep in her bath tub, the heat of the water easing the stiffness in her still healing body and the scent of the oils Sakura had added soothing her soul. How could she have been so stupid. She'd realized that Mako was trying to pull her away from her friends, and still she let him do it. "I hope that I didn't damage any of those friendships?" Her voice echoed in room. Looking at the light fading from the frosted bathroom window, she figured that she'd better get out and get dressed. Sakura would be back soon and hopefully she had convinced TenTen and Hinata to come over. Wrapping her hair in a towel and putting on a robe, Ino crossed the hall to her room and opened her closet. Comfort, she wanted comfort! She thought as she quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed a pair of combat pants worn soft with wear, they were actually an old pair from Shikamaru. She smiled as she remembered when she ended up getting them. They had been on a mission and she was in her standard purple top and split skirt over shorts when Asuma made the comment that she was putting the rest of them in danger by not blending in. Shikamaru tossed her his extra pair of pants and Choji had lent her his vest to cover the purple. She'd been glad for the length of the pants later as they had to traverse through a bramble patch and they had saved her legs from a multitude of scratches. She never did return them, adjusting the belt to make sure they stayed on her hips she reached into the back of her closet for a t-shirt that had belonged to her dad. She pulled it over her head then brought the collar to face and inhaled. It still smelled like him. Tears formed in her eyes, had she let him down? Walking down the hall to the kitchen she could feel her father's disappointment with every step. Filling the kettle with water and putting it on the stove for tea for when Sakura returned, Ino glanced around her apartment. The plants needed care, taking the watering can she went from plant to plant, watering and removing dead leaves, a flash of movement in the corner of her eye had her whirling around. No one was there but a bug flew into her line of sight. Holding out her hand the small insect landed in her palm and settled for a second or two, "Shino," she breathed, "Thank you." The small insect flew off and landed on a bookcase in her living room. Her friends were looking after her.

"Ino!?" Sakura walked in to the apartment after a perfunctory knock, her arms loaded with bags, Sasuke a step behind her with more.

"Goodness Sakura what did you get?" Ino rushed over to help. Taking a couple of bags to the kitchen with Sakura and Sasuke following behind giving Ino a small nod and smile. 

Sasuke put the bags on the counter, gave Sakura a quick kiss and walked back out the door. Not staying a word.

"Well I went to talk to TenTen and get food, right. So I stopped by the bakery first to order a bunch of sweet cakes and then I figured I'd better get actual food to and of course I went straight for Ichiraku and their ramen. I was laughing at myself because comfort food - ramen, I knew I'd been hanging out with Naruto too long." She smiled when Ino laughed as well. "I stopped by TenTen's and told her to pass the message on to Hinata about coming here. TenTen said she'd bring some other food as well so things are set. How are you feeling?"

"Better, a little stiff and a lot embarrassed." Ino set the ramen on the table and stared down into the bowl, "Sakura? Why didn't you give up on me? Will TenTen and Hinata understand as well? What about the guys?"

"Ino," Sakura reached across the table and gripped Ino's hand, "you are my best friend and even when we were fighting over Sasuke and declared ourselves rivals, I still cared about you. Our group has always been close. Everyone will understand and no one blames you. What you need to do now is stay strong. Mako is an abuser who has done this before. You're not the first woman to fall for his tricks so don't feel stupid." Sakura started on her ramen. "As for the guys, well you won't hear any 'I told you so' because they'll all be too happy to have you back. Well except of Naruto, but you can't expect that knuckle headed idiot to change completely." She laughed and Ino joined in. 

"By the way, thanks for getting Shino to watch over me while you were gone."

"I'd like to take credit for that but he was already outside. If I had to guess I'd say that Shikamaru had asked him to keep an eye on you, if he didn't think about doing so himself. Our Shino's pretty smart." The two finished their meal with the conversation turning to lighter topics. By the time there was a knock on the door Ino had a full stomach and was in higher spirits, she let TenTen and Hinata in. She could see Sasuke and Shino on the rooftop of the building across the street. TenTen was her normal high spirited self, putting down a plate of fresh fruit and vegetables on the counter she continued with the whatever conversation she'd been having with Hinata on the way over. Hinata smiled a greeting to Ino and placed a platter of her homemade rice balls on the table. 

"Here Ino I made this for you as well." Hinata offered her a brightly wrapped package.

"Thank you." Ino sat on the couch and carefully unwrapped the package. Inside was a beautifully knit throw in shades of purple, going from the darkest of purple at sunset to the palest lavender she had ever seen. It was so soft. Ino rubbed it against her face. "Oh Hinata this is so gorgeous, thank you. I've always wanted one of your blankets they're always so stunning." She reached for the blushing Hyuga and pulled her in for a hug. 

"I was going to give to you for your birthday, but.." She let the sentence hang, not really wanting to bring up Mako.

"No this is better," Ino insisted, "it means you thought enough about me to try and raise my spirits and that's so much better."

"Ino, we'd do anything for you, just like we know that you'd do and have done anything for us. Who brought us both our favorite flowers after Neji died. When I was in the hospital after that mission debacle, you came and helped me run the store." TenTen smiled.

"Ok enough depressing stuff, let's eat, then TenTen can tell us about the new guys she's dating?" Sakura smirked.

TenTen, not to be put in the spotlight alone, shamelessly threw her friend under the bus, "As long as Hinata tells us how she managed to get Naruto to spend the night with her."

The other two gawked. "Really? Finally Hinata, so how did that come about cause you've had thing for Naruto for like forever, and the dunderhead is just starting to see it." Ino's grin lit up her face, and the others gently teasing had the Hyuga princess blushing.

Hinata was embarrassed but took the ribbing, too happy seeing Ino back to her old self to complain. The four friends bantered back and forth about village gossip and who was dating who. 

"Well I know Shikamaru and Temari have been dating for a while now and I fully expect Shikamaru to propose soon, although how the two villages will deal what that I don't know."

"Why, what would be the problem?" TenTen thought the couple would be cute, and couldn't see what the issue would be after all others had married shinobi from other villages.

"Well the biggest issue is the fact that both Shikamaru and Temari are such high ranking ninja and therefore privy to a lot of sensitive information. Everyone knows how much Kakashi relies on Shikamaru for strategy and Temari is just as smart not too mention the fact that she's the Kazekage's sister. Even Choji who's dating Karui of the stone will be having similar issues if it gets serious. With Choji it will be because his is one of the heirs to the Akimichi clan and knows all of their clan secrets while Karui is a personal assistant to Killer Bee the Stones jinchuriki."

"Choji and Karui? Oh my god they make such a cute couple." TenTen gushed with happiness, "she is strong and much like you Ino, but I think that will just make it easier for Choji who needs a strong partner, someone to understand him."

"Well we all know that Hana finally moved in with Shino, right?" At the nods Sakura continued, " Kotetsu and Izumo are in a threesome with Mei the new instructor from the academy. That caused a bit of a scandal. "

"Not as much as Ebisu getting caught peeking into the woman's bath." TenTen let the others know what she had just learned. It was well known that while Kakashi would read his erotic book in the open, Ebisu was ten times worse. 

The rest of the night went on in similar fashion. The four friends talking a laughing even crying at one point, but it was good. Ino felt like she hadn't lost the closeness that she'd always had with these girls. It was in the way Sakura smiled at her. The way Hinata squeezed her hand and TenTen refilled her glass and her plate with her favorites without asking. They were there for each other, helping each other, supporting each other. No questions asked. Ino wiped the tears from her eyes, she was so glad that Mako hadn't ruined this.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry Sai is still coming.....sometime.


End file.
